Culloden Academy, 12-17 March 2007

Inverness Opera Company.

THE Talented Inverness Opera Company, being excluded from Eden Court like the rest of us, wanted to keep together, and found no better way than to offer first class entertainment with a huge selection of songs, choruses, duets and solos drawn from many of the shows they had performed in their long history.

The follow-up to last year’s ‘West End to Broadway, Act 1’, packed Culloden Academy Theatre for most of their six-night run, and presented a marvellous concert with enormous enthusiasm, top quality singing, and ingenious imagination.

Just a few of the shows represented were The Gondoliers, Pirates of Penzance, Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Brigadoon, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserable, Chicago, Guys and Dolls, and Paint Your Wagon.

Without any costumes, scenery, or make-up to hide behind, they rose to the occasion by varying the presentation with a particularly excellent use of lighting. The performers stepped down from the choir, all in white shirts and blouses for the first half, and multi-coloured later on, to offer their particular songs. This worked really well and it was greatly appreciated by the audience.

There were too many individual names to mention here, so I hope the Company will not mind me making some exceptions, when I mention long-serving Len Johnson who – still in excellent voice – sang ‘Impossible Dream’ (Man of La Mancha), and ‘If Ever I Would Leave You’ (Camelot), and from the younger members in the Company, Amy Webster with ‘All That Jazz’ (Chicago), Kirsty Hogg with ‘Popular’ (Wicked), Ashley MacKintosh with ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ (Les Misérables), and Clare Nicholson with ‘I’m Not That Girl’ (Wicked).

Believe me, the above lists only a few of the young talents who appeared as members of this Company, marking out a wonderful future for amateur opera in Inverness.

The talent and inspiration behind this great week of songs from the shows were Tony Randall, Producer; Musical Director, Bob Garrity; Stage Director, Gordon Duncan; and Choreographer, Fiona Riddell.

This fine team projected the show over the imaginary footlights straight to the audience in a most successful arrangement.

In the five-piece band, who provided all the musical expertise that could possibly be needed in a show of this kind, were Sheila Bruce and Bill Gregor Taylor (keyboards), Angus Birnie (bass), and Geoff Blogg (percussion).

I understand that plans are not yet complete for this Company’s first presentation when Eden Court becomes available again, but whatever it is, don’t miss it.

© Arthur Brocklebank, 2007